February 4
1800s *1861 - Wearing ice skates, the champion Atlantics defeat the Charter Oak Club, 36-27 on a game played on frozen Litchfield Pond in South Brooklyn. *1882 - National League players are now responsible for carrying their own bats and uniforms on road trips. They are also required to purchase and keep clean two complete uniforms, including the white linen ties to be worn on the field at all times. *1893 - The first recorded version of Casey at the Bat, as sung by Russell Hunting, hits the music charts. DeWolf Hopper's more famous version will not be released until October 1906. *1899 - Hughie Jennings will not go south with the Brooklyn team but will get in shape as baseball coach for Cornell University. 1900s-1920s *1909 - Pitcher John Clarkson dies in Belmont, Massachusetts, at the age of 47. Clarkson won 328 games during a 12-year career in the 19th century. He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1963. *1915 - The New York Yankees purchase Wally Pipp and Hugh High from the Detroit Tigers for a reported $5,000 each. Baseball historian Lyle Spatz (Yankees Coming, Yankees Going) writes that this was the first of some promised funneling of ball players to the recently-sold Yankees franchise. *1922 - Joe Harris, formerly with the Cleveland Indians, is reinstated by Judge Landis because of his good World War I record. Harris had been on the ineligible list for having played with and against ineligible players in independent games. "His service in France, where he was gassed after bitter fighting, caused him to do things he might not have done," says Judge Landis in reinstating him. Last December, Harris was traded by Cleveland along with George Burns and Elmer Smith to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Stuffy McInnis. *1925 - In a deal of outfielders, the Brooklyn Dodgers acquires Cotton Tierney from the Boston Braves for Bernie Neis. 1930-1950s *1934 - The National Recovery Administration says athletes advertising athletic goods must actually use them or advertisers will lose the NRA Blue Eagle and be fined. *1956: **The Major Leagues vote to establish the Cy Young Memorial Award for outstanding pitcher of the year. **The American League says it will test the automatic intentional walk during spring training. *1957 - Manager Joe McCarthy and outfielder Sam Crawford are elected to the Hall of Fame by the Baseball Writers Association of America. McCarthy, the winningest manager in major league history, won nine pennants and four consecutive World Championships with the New York Yankees. Crawford, one of the greatest hitters of the deadball era, finished his career with 309 triples, first on the all-time list. *1958 - The Hall of Fame fails to enshrine any new members for the first time since 1950. 1960s-1970s *1960: **The BBWAA voters fail to elect a new Hall of Fame member. Edd Roush gets 146 votes, but 202 are necessary for election. Sam Rice (143) and Eppa Rixey (142) are next in line. **The San Francisco Giants move their offices to Candlestick Park. They will work out of a locker room until the Giants facility is completed. *1969 - Attorney Bowie Kuhn is named Baseball commissioner, succeeding Spike Eckert. Kuhn receives a one-year contract paying him $100,000. Major league owners turned to Kuhn after failing to agree on either of two other candidates, Mike Burke of the New York Yankees and Charles S. Feeney of the San Francisco Giants. *1971 - Commissioner Bowie Kuhn announces former Negro League players will have a separate wing in the Hall of Fame. Due to the controversy the announcement causes, it is decided inclusion in regular Hall of Fame is more fitting and more of an honor for the former black players. *1976 - Federal Judge John W. Oliver upholds a recent decision by arbitrator Peter Seitz, who had granted free agency to pitchers Andy Messersmith and Dave McNally. Both players had challenged baseball’s reserve clause. Messersmith will sign a free agent contract with the Atlanta Braves, while McNally will decide to retire. 1980s-1990s *1984 - The New York Yankees obtain third baseman Toby Harrah and a minor league player from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for outfielder Otis Nixon and two prospects. *1985 - Slugger Greg Luzinski announces his retirement. In a 15-season career, he “The Bull” was a .276 hitter with 307 home runs and 1128 RBI with the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox. *1990 - The St. Petersburg Pelicans get home runs from Lamar Johnson and Steve Kemp and rout the West Palm Beach Tropics, 12-4, to win the first-ever championship of the Senior Professional Baseball Association. *1991 - The 12 members of the board of directors of the Hall of Fame vote unanimously to ban Pete Rose from the ballot. Rose will become eligible again only if the baseball commissioner reinstates him by December, 2005. *1998 - Free agent DH/OF José Canseco signs to a one-year contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. 2000s *2000 - The New York Mets sign free agent knuckleballer Dennis Springer to a contract. *2002 - The Minnesota Supreme Court refuses to consider an appeal of an injunction that forces the Twins to fulfill their Metrodome lease in 2002. The decision puts an end for this season any possibility of contraction in major league baseball. *2004 - Avoiding an arbitration hearing, the St. Louis Cardinals and Albert Pujols agree to a $100 million, seven-year deal. The 24-year slugging first baseman/outfielder, who hit a .359 average with 43 home runs and 124 RBI in 2003, was the runner up to Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants in National League MVP voting. *2005: **A dentist, who became partially blind after being struck attempting to catch a foul ball, is appealing his case against the Philadelphia Phillies which alleges more needs done to protect fans. The case, demised by a Philadelphia Common Pleas judge citing multiple warnings were made by the club including PA announcements, text on the back of the ticket, and posted signs in the ball park, will now be heard in the state’s Commonwealth Court. **Needing to fill the void created by the departure of Sammy Sosa and Moisés Alou, the Chicago Cubs avoid arbitration and sign Aramis Ramírez to a $8.95 million, one-year contract. Ramírez, who hit .318 with 36 home runs and 103 RBI in 2004, established a club record for a third baseman. *2006: **In the Caribbean World Series, Alex González, headed to the Boston Red Sox to be their new shortstop, hit a three-run home run off Jorge Sosa in the top of the ninth inning, lifting the Caracas Lions of Venezuela to an 11–9 victory over the Dominican Republic’s Licey Tigers. Venezuela overcame deficits of 5–0 and 6–1 before González’s blast. Closer Francisco Rodríguez pitched a scoreless ninth to complete the win. Venezuela, which has won all three of its games so far, handed the Dominican Republic's their first loss. Alex Cabrera also homered for the Lions and the Tigers hit five, including one a piece by Miguel Tejada and José Offerman. Earlier, Víctor Rodriguez drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth inning and the Carolina Giants of Puerto Rico beat Mexico’s Mazatlan Reindeers, 10–9, for its first victory in the Series. Mexico's Mazatlan - last year's champions - are winless in three games. **Houston Astros All-Star third baseman Morgan Ensberg, Cincinnati Reds All-Star shortstop Felipe López, Detroit Tigers outfielder Craig Monroe, Texas Rangers outfielder Kevin Mench, and Baltimore Orioles outfielder Luis Matos, agreed to one-year contracts and avoided salary arbitration. **The Boston Red Sox and starting pitcher Josh Beckett settled their arbitration case, agreeing to a one-year contract for $4,325,000. Births *1890 - Possum Whitted, outfielder (d. 1962) *1892 - Eddie Ainsmith, catcher (d. 1981) *1942 - Joe Sparma, pitcher (d. 1986) *1951 - Stan Papi, pitcher *1953 - Rob Picciolo, infielder *1955 - Gary Allenson, catcher *1962 - Dan Plesac, All-Star pitcher *1980 - Steve Schmoll, pitcher *1981 - Ben Hendrickson, pitcher *1983 - William Bergolla, infielder Deaths *1909 - John Clarkson, Hall of Fame pitcher (b. 1861) *1920 - Ed Siever, pitcher (b. 1877) *1923 - George Tebeau, outfielder (b. 1861) *1937 - Harry Wolverton, outfielder (b. 1873) *1944 - Dixie Davis, pitcher (b. 1890) *1977 - Nemo Leibold, outfielder (b. 1892) *2005 - Luis Sánchez, pitcher (b. 1953) *2006 - Joe McGuff, sportswriter (b. 1926)